A mezzo-soprano (/ˈmɛtsoʊ/; [ˈmɛddzo]; meaning "medium" or "middle" "soprano" in Italian) is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above (i.e. A₃-A₅ in scientific pitch notation, where middle C = C₄). In the lower and upper extremes, some mezzo-sopranos may extend down to the G below middle C (G₃) and as high as "high C" (C₆).^[1]

While mezzo-sopranos generally have a heavier, darker tone than sopranos, the mezzo-soprano voice resonates in a higher range than that of a contralto. The terms Dugazon and Galli-Marié are sometimes used to refer to light mezzo-sopranos, after the names of famous singers. A castrato with a vocal range equivalent to a mezzo-soprano's range is referred to as a mezzo-soprano castrato or mezzista. Today, however, only women should be referred to as mezzo-sopranos; men singing within the female range are called countertenors.^[2] In current operatic practice, female singers with very low tessituras are often included among mezzo-sopranos, because singers in both ranges are able to cover the other, and true operatic contraltos are very rare.^[1] For information regarding non-classical mezzo-sopranos see Voice classification in non-classical music.

Mezzo-sopranos typically sing secondary roles in operas; notable exceptions include the title role in Bizet's Carmen, Angelina (Cinderella) in Rossini's La Cenerentola, and Rosina in Rossini's Barber of Seville (all of which are also sung by sopranos). Typical roles for mezzo-sopranos include the stereotypical triad associated with contraltos of "witches, bitches, and britches":^[3] witches, nurses, and wise women, such as Azucena in Verdi's Il trovatore; villains and seductresses such as Amneris in Verdi's Aida; and "trouser" characters (male characters played by female singers) such as Cherubino in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro. Mezzo-sopranos are also well represented in baroque music, early music and baroque opera.^[1] However, there is a significant tradition in French-language operas of the 19th Century to give the leading female role to mezzos, as for example in Béatrice et Bénédict, La Damnation de Faust, Don Quichotte, La Favorite, Mignon, Samson et Dalila, Les Troyens, and Werther as well as Carmen.

Some roles designated for lighter soubrette sopranos are sung by mezzo sopranos, who often provide a fuller, more dramatic quality. Such roles include Despina in Mozart's Così fan tutte and Zerlina in his Don Giovanni.^[4] Mezzos also sometimes play dramatic soprano roles such as Santuzza in Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana, Lady Macbeth in Verdi's Macbeth, and Kundry in Wagner's Parsifal.^[5]

In general mezzos are broken down into three categories: Coloratura mezzo-sopranos, Lyric mezzo-soprano, and Dramatic mezzo-sopranos.

Coloratura mezzo-soprano[link]

A coloratura mezzo-soprano has a warm lower register and an agile high register. The roles they sing often demand not only the use of the lower register but also leaps into the upper tessitura with highly ornamented, rapid passages. They have a range from approximately the G below middle C (G3) to the B two octaves above middle C (B5). Some coloratura mezzo-sopranos can sing up to high C (C6) or high D (D6), but this is very rare.^[1] What distinguishes these voices from being called sopranos is their extension into the lower register and warmer vocal quality. Although coloratura mezzo-sopranos have impressive and at times thrilling high notes, they are most comfortable singing in the middle of their range, rather than the top.^[5]

Many of the hero roles in the operas of Handel and Monteverdi, originally sung by male castrati, can be successfully sung today by coloratura mezzo-sopranos. Rossini demanded similar qualities for his comic heroines, and Vivaldi wrote roles frequently for this voice as well. Coloratura mezzo-sopranos also often sing lyric-mezzo soprano roles or soubrette roles.^[4]

[edit] Coloratura mezzo-soprano roles in opera and operettas^[5]

Joyce DiDonato (born February 13, 1969) is an award-winning American operatic mezzo-soprano particularly admired for her interpretations of the works of Handel, Mozart, and Rossini. DiDonato has performed with many of the world's leading opera companies and orchestras. In 2012 she won a Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Solo.

Early life and education[link]

Joyce DiDonato was born Joyce Flaherty in Prairie Village, Kansas in 1969, the sixth of seven children in a close-knit Irish-American family. She sang in choir and musicals in high school and dreamed of becoming a Broadway star or pop singer.^[1] DiDonato entered Wichita State University (WSU) in the autumn of 1988 where she studied vocal music education. She was initially more interested in teaching high school vocal music and musical theatre and did not become interested in opera until her junior year, when she was cast in a school production of Die Fledermaus.^[2] After graduating from WSU in the spring of 1992, DiDonato decided to pursue graduate studies in vocal performance at the Academy of Vocal Arts.^[3] Following her studies in Philadelphia, she was accepted in Santa Fe Opera's young artist program in 1995. While there she appeared in several minor roles and understudied for larger parts in such operas as Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, Richard Strauss' Salome, Kálmán's Gräfin Mariza and the 1994 world premiere of David Lang's Modern Painters. DiDonato was honored as the Outstanding Apprentice Artist by the Santa Fe Opera that year. In 1996 she became a part of Houston Grand Opera's young artist program where she sang from the autumn of 1996 to the spring of 1998. During the summer of 1997, DiDonato participated in San Francisco Opera's Merola Program.^[4]

During her apprentice years, DiDonato competed in several notable vocal competitions. In 1996 she won second prize in the Eleanor McCollum Competition and was a district winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. In 1997 she won a William Matheus Sullivan Award. In 1998 she won second prize in the Operalia Competition, first place in the Stewart Awards, won the George London Competition, and a received a Richard F. Gold Career Grant from the Shoshana Foundation.^[5]

Career[link]

DiDonato began her professional career in the 1998/1999 season singing with several regional opera companies in the United States. She most notably appeared as the main heroine, Maslova, in the world premiere of Tod Machover's Resurrection with the Houston Grand Opera.^[6] She gave a recital in San Francisco that year as part of the Schwabacher recital series.

In the 1999/2000 season, DiDonato performed the role of Meg in the world premiere of Mark Adamo's Little Women at Houston Grand Opera with Stephanie Novacek as Jo and Chad Shelton as Laurie. She performed the role of Cherubino in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro with Santa Fe Opera and the role of Isabella in Rossini's L'italiana in Algeri with the New Israeli Opera. In addition, DiDonato gave a recital at New York's Morgan Library under the auspices of the George London Foundation and sang the mezzo-soprano solos in the Seattle Symphony's production of Handel's Messiah.^[7]

In the 2000/2001 season, DiDonato made her debut at La Scala as Angelina in Rossini's La Cenerentola, returned to Houston Grand Opera as Dorabella in Mozart's Così fan tutte, and sang the mezzo-soprano solos in Bach's Mass in B minor with the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris and conductor John Nelson.^[7] In 2000, DiDonato received the ARIA (Awards Recognizing Individual Artistry) award, which annually recognized American "vocal artists of exceptional ability and undeniable promise".^[5]

In the 2001/2002 season DiDonato made her debut with Washington National Opera as Dorabella in Mozart's Così fan tutte, her debut with De Nederlandse Opera as Sesto in Handel's Giulio Cesare, her debut with Opéra National de Paris as Rosina in Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia, her debut with Bavarian State Opera as Cherubino in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro under the baton of Zubin Mehta, and returned to Santa Fe Opera to perform the role of Annio in Mozart's La clemenza di Tito. She made several concert appearances including performances of Vivaldi's Gloria with Riccardo Muti and the La Scala Orchestra and Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream with Ensemble Orchestral de Paris. In 2002, DiDonato was given the Richard Tucker Award.^[5]

In the 2002/2003 season, DiDonato made her debut with the New York City Opera as Sister Helen in Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking, her debut with Théâtre du Châtelet in the title role of Rossini's La cenerentola, her debut at Covent Garden as Zlatohrbitek the fox in Janáček's The Cunning Little Vixen under the baton of Sir John Eliot Gardiner, and her debut with the New National Theatre Tokyo as Rosina in Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia. She performed the title role in Rossini's Adina at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro and the role of Cherubino in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro with Opéra Bastille. In concert, DiDonato performed Mozart's Requiem with the Seattle Symphony, Berlioz's Les nuits d'été with the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, and made her Carnegie Hall debut in a production of Bach's Mass in B Minor with the Orchestra of St. Luke's under the baton of Peter Schreier. She toured Europe with Marc Minkowski and Les Musiciens du Louvre in performances of Les nuits d'été.^[8] In 2003 DiDonato was the recipient of New York City Opera's Richard Gold Debut Award

In the 2003/2004 season, DiDonato made her debut with the San Francisco Opera as Rosina in Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia and reprised the role with Houston Grand Opera. She performed Idamante in Mozart's Idomeneo with De Nederlandse Opera and at the Aix-en-Provence Festival. She sang the role of Ascanio in a concert performance of Berlioz's Benvenuto Cellini with the Orchestre National de France and appeared in solo recitals at the Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Kansas City's Folly Theater, and Wigmore Hall among others. She sang at the Hollywood Bowl in a production of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.^[8]

In the 2004/2005 season, DiDonato made her debut with the Grand Théâtre de Genève as Elisabetta in Donizetti's Maria Stuarda. She returned to La Scala in the role of Angelina in Rossini's La Cenerentola and once again played Rosina in a new production of Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia by Luca Ronconi at the Pesaro Festival and the Teatro Comunale di Bologna.^[7]

In the 2005/2006 season, DiDonato made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro and played Stéphano in Gounod's Roméo et Juliette at the Met. She returned to the Royal Opera House as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, sang her first Sesto in Mozart's La clemenza di Tito with Grand Théâtre de Genève, and sang the role of Dejanira in Handel's Hercules at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York and at the Barbican Centre in London with William Christie (musician). In addition, DiDonato appeared in several concerts with the New York Philharmonic and gave a recital at Wigmore Hall in London. She closed the Santa Fe Opera's 50th anniversary season in the title role of Massenet's Cendrillon.^[7] In 2006, DiDonato was given the Royal Philharmonic Society Singer Award.

In the 2006/2007 season, DiDonato debuted at the Teatro Real as the Composer in Richard Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos, returned to the Opéra National de Paris as Idamante in Mozart's Idomeneo, and returned to Houston Grand Opera as Angelina in La Cenerentola. She sang Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia at the Metropolitan Opera and sang her first Octavian in Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier with the San Francisco Opera. She toured the U.S. and Europe on an extensive recital tour with accompianist Julius Drake.^[9] DiDonato won the Metropolitan Opera's Beverly Sills Award in 2007.^[10]

In the 2007/2008 season, DiDonato debuted at the Liceu as Angelina in La Cenerentola and at the Lyric Opera of Chicago as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia. She sang the title role in Handel's Alcina with Alan Curtis and Il Complesso Barocco and the title role in Handel's Ariodante at the Grand Théâtre de Genève. She sang Roméo in Bellini's I Capuleti e i Montecchi with Opéra Bastille and returned to Madrid's Teatro Real as Idamante in Idomeneo in July 2008. DiDonato also gave recitals at La Scala, Lincoln Center, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and performed a special concert of Handel arias which was recorded in Brussels.^[9][11]

In the 2008/2009 season, DiDonato returned to Covent Garden as Donna Elvira in Mozart's Don Giovanni and as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia. In a performance of that opera on July 7, DiDonato slipped onstage and broke her right fibula; she finished the first act hobbling and the rest of the performance on crutches. She then performed the five remaining scheduled performances from a wheelchair.^[12] She will be performing the roles of Beatrice in Berlioz's Béatrice et Bénédict with Houston Grand Opera, Idamante in Mozart's Idomeneo with Opéra National de Paris, and Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia in her debut with Vienna State Opera. DiDonato also appeared in concerts with the New York Philharmonic, Kansas City Symphony, and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the latter of which under the baton of James Levine. She also toured Europe and the United States with Les Talens Lyriques giving concerts of Handel arias; including performances at Wigmore Hall and the Rossini Opera Festival.^[13]

In October 2010, DiDonato won the Klassik Echo Award as Singer of the Year.^[14]

DiDonato sang the role of Isolier in Rossini's Le comte Ory with the Metropolitan Opera in April 2011.

At the 54th Grammy Awards on February 12th, 2012, the Grammy for Best Classical Vocal Solo was awarded to DiDonato for her solo recording Diva Divo.^[15]

In 2012, DiDonato was voted into Gramophone Magazine's Hall of Fame.^[16]

In April 2012, DiDonato sang the role of Mary Stuart in Donizetti's Maria Stuarda with the Houston Grand Opera.^[17]

Personal life[link]

DiDonato is married to Italian conductor Leonardo Vordoni with whom she lives in Kansas City, Missouri. She was married once previously and continues to use her first husband's surname professionally.^[3]

Opera roles[link]

@ Indicates a world premiere

Discography[link]

Complete opera recordings[link]

• Alcina in Handel's Alcina with conductor Alan Curtis and Il Complesso Barocco, released 2009, Archiv label.
• Angelina (Cenerentola) in Rossini's La Cenerentola with conductor Alberto Zedda and SWR Orchestra Kaiserslautern, released 2005, Naxos label.
• Ariodante in Handel's Ariodante with conductor Alan Curtis and Il Complesso Barocco, released 2011, Virgin Classics label.
• Ascanio in Berlioz's Benvenuto Cellini with conductor John Nelson and Orchestre National de France, released 2005, Virgin Classics label.
• Elmira in Handel's Floridante with conductor Alan Curtis and Il Complesso Barocco, released 2007, Archiv Produktion label.
• Grace Kelly in Michael Daugherty's Jackie O with conductor Christopher Larkin and Houston Grand Opera Orchestra, released 1997, Argo label.
• Maslova in Tod Machover's Resurrection with conductor Patrick Summers and Houston Grand Opera Orchestra, released 1999, Albany Records.
• Meg March in Mark Adamo's Little Women with conductor Katherine Ciesinski and Houston Grand Opera Orchestra, released 2001, Ondine label.
• Radamisto in Handel's Radamisto with conductor Alan Curtis and Il Complesso Barocco, released 2005, Virgin Classics label.

Concert recordings[link]

• Antonio Vivaldi: The Complete Sacred Music with conductor Robert King and The King's Consort, released 2005, Hyperion label.
• Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Nights Dream with conductor John Nelson and the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, released 2003, EMI Classics label.
• Mozart: The Last Concerto 1791 with conductor Frans Brüggen and the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, released 2002, Glossa label.

Solo recordings[link]

• Diva, Divo, with the Orchestre et Choeur de l’Opéra National de Lyon under Kazushi Ono, released 2011
• Rossini: Colbran, the Muse, conductor Edoardo Muller and Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, released 2009, Virgin Classics label.
• Furore – Mad Scenes from Operas, conductor Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques, released 2008, Virgin Classics label.
• Amor e gelosia: Handel Operatic Duets with Patrizia Ciofi, conductor Alan Curtis and Il Complesso Barocco, released 2004, Virgin Classics label.
• The Deepest Desire, accompanied by David Zobel, released 2006, Eloquentia label.
• Joyce DiDonato: Songs by Fauré, Hahn and Head · Arias by Rossini and Handel, live recording at Wigmore Hall, accompanied by Julius Drake, released 2006, Wigmore Hall Live label.
• ¡Pasión!, accompanied by Julius Drake, released 2007, Eloquentia label.

Other recordings[link]

• William Barnewitz: Long Road Home, DiDonato appears as a guest artist, released 2007, Avie label.
• Plácido Domingo's Operalia '98: A Tribute to Passion and Soul, released 1998, Montblanc label.

Film and television appearances[link]

• Meg March in Mark Adamo's Little Women with conductor Katherine Ciesinski and Houston Grand Opera Orchestra, aired on PBS' Great Performances in 2001.
• Rosina in Rossini's The Barber of Seville with conductor Bruno Campanella and Opéra National de Paris, aired on television in 2002, released on DVD 2002.
• "Gala Jean-Philippe Rameau" – Concert du 20ème anniversaire des Musiciens du Louvre, aired on television in 2003.
• Dejanira in Handel's Hercules with conductor William Christie, Les Arts Florissants, and Aix-en-Provence Festival, aired on television in 2005, released on DVD 2005.^[18]
• Rosina in Rossini's The Barber of Seville with conductor Antonio Pappano at the Royal Opera House, released on DVD in 2010
• Angelina in Rossini's La Cenerentola with conductor Patrick Summers at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, released on DVD in 2010

References[link]

External links[link]

• Joyce DiDonato Official Website
• An interview with Joyce DiDonato, June 2012
• An interview with Joyce DiDonato, September 2008
• Yankee Diva Joyce DiDonato's blog
• Joyce DiDonato's Management at IMG Artists
• Joyce DiDonato – Virgin Classics Official Website
• Joyce DiDonato – EMI Classics UK for Concert Dates and Releases in the UK
• Joyce DiDonato – EMI Classics Germany

Rinat Shaham (Hebrew: רינת שחם‎) is an Israeli born mezzo-soprano who has received numerous accolades for her international operatic, concert and recital performances.^[1]

Life and career[link]

Shaham was born in Haifa, Israel;^[2] her father was a music teacher. She developed an interest in theatre after attending an arts school.^[3] Shaham completed her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States.

Rinat Shaham has sung leading roles with the New York City Opera, the Opera Company of Philadelphia, the Opéra de Montréal, the Aix-en-Provence Festival, the Glyndebourne Festival, the Berlin State Opera, Opera Australia^[4] and many more.

Shaham has performed as soloist with symphony orchestras including the Berlin Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, the London Philharmonic, the San Francisco Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Boston Symphony and the Minnesota Orchestra. She has performed with some of the most eminent conductors of the day, including Seiji Ozawa, Simon Rattle, André Previn, Christoph Eschenbach, Leonard Slatkin, Daniel Barenboim, Simone Young, Antonio Pappano, William Christie, David Robertson and Eiji Oue.

Rinat Shaham's many roles include the title role in Bizet's Carmen, Charlotte in Massenet's Werther, Dorabella in Mozart's Così fan tutte, Mélisande in Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande, Cherubino in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, Zerlina in Mozart's Don Giovanni, Rosina in Rossini's The Barber of Seville, and Blanche in Poulenc's Dialogues of the Carmelites.

Shaham regularly appears in recitals, which play a central part in her schedule.

She is married to Australian-born violist and filmmaker Peter Bucknell. Her brother is violinist Hagai Shaham.

Recording and other media[link]

Opera DVDs with Rinat Shaham have been produced for The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro.^[5] She has recorded excerpts from operas by Jean-Baptiste Lully for Erato and Deutsche Grammophon with William Christie, and Maurice Ravel's L'enfant et les sortilèges with André Previn. Shaham's solo CD of songs by George Gershwin and Henry Purcell, Fantasy in Blue with Fuoco e Cenere ("Fire and Ashes"), was published by ATMA Classique.^[6] Shaham made her feature film debut as "The Jazz Singer" in the 2001 István Szabó film, Taking Sides with Harvey Keitel.^[7]

Awards[link]

A winner of numerous vocal competitions, Shaham worked closely with Marilyn Horne at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara and was subsequently invited to participate in the Marilyn Horne Foundation Birthday Gala at Carnegie Hall. Shaham was presented by the Foundation in several recitals in New York City and Los Angeles in 2001.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Rinat Shaham as Carmen – Video clip link
• Rinat Shaham at the Internet Movie Database

Denyce Graves in concert

Denyce Graves (born March 7, 1964 in Washington, D.C.) is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer.

Early life[link]

Graves was born on March 7, 1964, to Charles Graves and Dorothy (Middleton) Graves-Kenner. She is the middle of three children and was raised by her mother on Galveston Street, S.W., in the Bellevue section of Washington.^[1] She graduated from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in 1981. Graves studied voice at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the New England Conservatory.^[2] She worked at the Wolf Trap Opera Company, which provides further training and experience for young singers who are between their academic training and full-time professional careers. Soon after, she was invited by David Gockley to participate in the Houston Opera Studio from 1988-90 where she studied with Elena Nikolaidi.

Career[link]

She made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 1995^[1] and has appeared at many opera houses. Though her repertoire is extensive, her signature parts are the title roles in Carmen and Samson et Dalila. On January 20, 2005, she sang the patriotic song "American Anthem" during the 55th Presidential Inauguration, between the swearing-in ceremonies of Vice President Dick Cheney and President George W. Bush for their second terms in office.^[3]

Graves sang "America the Beautiful" and "The Lord's Prayer" at the Washington National Cathedral during a memorial service for the victims of 9/11 on September 14, 2001, attended by President Bush, members of Congress, other politicians and representatives of foreign governments.^[4]

In 2003, Graves performed in front of a live audience at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia for a television special, Denyce Graves: Breaking the Rules. In 2005, she hosted the radio show Voce di Donna (Voice of a Lady) on Vox!, the vocal classical music channel of XM Satellite Radio, on which she interviewed various opera singers. Graves often was heard on The Tony Kornheiser Show radio program with her rendition of the "Mailbag Theme".

She performed the opera Werther with Andrea Bocelli for the Michigan Opera Theatre, the first opera broadcast on the Internet in its entirety in 1999. She is currently an industry panelist on American Idol Underground.

On January 2, 2007, Graves performed "The Lord's Prayer" at the state funeral for Gerald Ford at the Washington National Cathedral.

Graves sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" as part of the pre-game ceremonies inaugurating Nationals Park.

On April 12, 2009, Graves performed a tribute concert to Marian Anderson at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, organized by the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. In May 2010, Graves performed a concert with tenor Lawrence Brownlee in the United States Supreme Court Building for the Supreme Court justices.^[5]

On the evening of September 11, 2011, Graves performed at the "Concert for Hope" at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks. That same year, she appeared as a Pennington Great Performers series artist with the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra.

Personal life[link]

In the late 1980's she was involved with tenor, Fernando del Valle, later, Graves married guitarist David Perry in 1990 and divorced in the early 2000s. She then had a relationship with French composer and clarinetist Vincent Thomas. After breaking up Graves discovered she was pregnant, something she thought was impossible because she had been told that fibroids and other conditions prevented her from getting pregnant and Thomas told her he had a vasectomy. In June 2004, she gave birth to Ella (named after Ella Fitzgerald) via emergency C-section in Paris.^[6] In June 2006, she met Robert Montgomery, a Johns Hopkins doctor, on an airplane from Dulles Airport to Paris.^[4] They were married on June 29, 2009, in a family-only affair. In August the couple travelled to Kenya for a tradition Maasai blessing and had a five-day wedding celebration in September that featured a kick-off party in a private airplane hangar, a rehearsal dinner at their home, a reception at the Anderson House in Dupont Circle, and a day-after picnic on the grounds of Duke Ellington High School.^[7] Montgomery is now the Chief of Transplant Surgery at Johns Hopkins Medical Center. The couple resides in Bethesda, Maryland.

References[link]

External links[link]

Biography portal

• Denyce Graves
• allmusic.com biography

Malena Ernman
Malena Ernman (2009)
Background information
Birth name	Sara Magdalena Ernman
Born	November 4, 1970 (1970-11-04) (age 41) Uppsala Municipality, Uppland County, Sweden
Genres	Opera, Jazz, Baroque pop, Chanson, Cabaret
Occupations	Singer
Years active	1998 - Present
Labels	Roxy Recordings Stockholm
Website	http://www.malenaernman.com

Sara Magdalena "Malena" Ernman (born November 4, 1970 in Uppsala, Sweden) is a Swedish opera singer (coloratura mezzo-soprano). Ernman is a versatile artist in her field, who outside the world of opera and operettas also has performed chansons, cabaret, jazz, appeared in musicals and she is a performer who's declared that she's very much attracted to the attributes of varité theatre and small, intimate stage rooms. Ernman represented Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow, Russia. Malena Ernman is a member of The Royal Swedish Academy of Music.

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Ernman spent her childhood and school years in Sandviken, a small town known in Sweden for producing many musical artists, mainly in jazz. Ernman was educated at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm, the Music Conservatory in Orléans, France and at the school of the Royal Swedish Opera. Ernman is married to actor Svante Thunberg. They have two daughters, Greta and Beata.

Operas[link]

Ernman has sung Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro (Staatsoper Berlin/Daniel Barenboim), Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia by Rossini (Staatsoper Berlin, Royal Opera Stockholm, Finnish National Opera), the title role in Carmen (Royal Opera Stockholm), Kaja in Sven-David Sandström’s Staden (Royal Opera Stockholm) and Zerlina in Don Giovanni (Staatsoper Berlin/Barenboim).

She has worked with René Jacobs in Berlin, Brussels, Innsbruck, Vienna and Paris in roles like Nerone in Agrippina, Roberto in Scarlatti’s Griselda, Diana in Cavalli’s La Calisto and Nerone in L'incoronazione di Poppea by Monteverdi. She sang Sesto in Handel’s Giulio Cesare at the Drottningholm Festival in 2001 and appeared at the Glyndebourne Festival singing Nancy in Albert Herring (summer 2002) and Orlovsky in Johann Strauß Die Fledermaus (summer 2003).

During the 2003/2004 season Ernman sang Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni at La Monnaie in Brussels and Lichas in Hercules with Les Arts Florissants and William Christie at the Aix-en-Provence Festival (also revived at Opéra National de Paris and at Wiener Festwochen). During the spring and summer of 2005, she created the title role in Boesmans’ Julie at la Monnaie, Wiener Festwochen and in Aix-en-Provence. The spring of 2006 included the title role of Dido and Aeneas (William Christie) in Vienna and Nerone in Agrippina at Oper Frankfurt. In 2006 she made her debut at the Salzburg Festival as Annio in La clemenza di Tito under the baton of Nikolaus Harnoncourt. In 2007 her engagements included Sesto in Giulio Cesare with René Jacobs in Vienna, Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro with Daniel Harding in Aix-en-Provence and Nerone in L'incoronazione di Poppea in Amsterdam. In 2008 she sang Angelina in La Cenerentola (Royal Swedish Opera) and Dido and Aeneas (W Christie/Opera Comique, Paris). Her 2009 engagements include Angelina in La Cenerentola (Oper Frankfurt and Swedish Royal Opera) and Dido in Dido and Aeneas (Christie/D Warner) in Vienna and Amsterdam.

Concerts[link]

On the concert platform Ernman’s appearances have included Mozart’s Waisenhausmesse (Salzburg Festspiele/Frans Brüggen), Berio’s Folksongs (Stockholm Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Carlo Rizzi, Verbier Festival/Gustavo Dudamel), Fabian Müller’s Nachtgesänge (Tonhalleorchester Zürich/Zinman – world premiere) and Mozart’s Requiem in Minneapolis with Arnold Östman.

During the 2001/2002 season she could be heard in recital in Tokyo, Bach’s St. John Passion in Notre Dame de Paris (Ensemble Orchestral de Paris/John Nelson) and Mozart’s Requiem (Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Barenbiom). In the 2004/2005 season she made her Wigmore Hall debut and appeared singing Sea Pictures in Trondheim and Berio’s Folksongs with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. At the 1999 Nobel Prize Award Ceremony Ernman performed as a soloist.

Ernman is today a highly renowned concert artist with concerts in Tokyo, Berlin, Madrid, Rome, Paris, London and Los Angeles. She has performed with many notable conductors, including Marc Minkowski, Daniel Barenboim, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Phillip Herreweghe, René Jacobs and Sir Simon Rattle.

2009 Melodifestivalen and Eurovision[link]

On November 28, 2008 it was announced that Ernman would enter Melodifestivalen 2009 for the Eurovision Song Contest 2009, with the song "La voix" written by Fredrik Kempe. On February 28, 2009 Ernman competed in the 4th semi-final of Melodifestivalen in Malmö and was announced as a finalist.^[1] She then went on to win the final on March 14 at the Globe Arena in Stockholm and to represent Sweden in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow. Sweden was put into the first of two semifinals from which the songs would advance to the finals. At the end of SF1, Ernman emerged as a finalist.^[2][3] "La voix" was the first Swedish entry to contain a substantial amount of French lyrics, written by Ernman herself who speaks French fluently.^[3] Ernman revealed that the dress for her Eurovision performance cost 400,000 kronor (€37,471) and was made by designer Camilla Thulin.^[4] Singer Dea Norberg joined Ernman as one of the choirgirls. She qualified through the first semi final on May 12 to the final on May 16 where she finished 21st with 33 points.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• 2001: Cabaret Songs (BIS)
• 2003: Songs in Season (Nytorp Musik)
• 2003: My Love (BIS)
• 2009: La Voix du Nord
• 2010: Santa Lucia – En Klassisk Jul (Christmas album)
• 2011: Opera di Fiori (Roxy Recordings/Universal)

Others

• Songs in Season (Nytorp Musik)
• Nachtgesänge (Col legno)

Singles[link]

• 2009: "La voix" - sung at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009
• 2010: "Min plats på jorden"

DVD[link]

• Die Fledermaus (Glyndebourne Festival Opera)
• Julie (Boesmans)
• Hercules (William Christie)
• Dido and Aeneas (William Christie)
• La Cenerentola (Stockholm)

References[link]

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